In biblical literature, the term "demoniac" refers to individuals who are possessed or influenced by demons. The New Testament provides several accounts of demoniacs, illustrating the spiritual conflict between the forces of good and evil and the authority of Jesus Christ over demonic powers.

Old Testament Context

While the Old Testament does not explicitly use the term "demoniac," it acknowledges the existence of evil spirits. For example, 1 Samuel 16:14 describes an evil spirit tormenting King Saul: "Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him." This passage suggests that demonic influence was recognized, though not extensively detailed, in the Hebrew Scriptures.

New Testament Accounts

The New Testament provides more explicit accounts of demoniacs, particularly in the Gospels. These narratives highlight Jesus' authority over demons and His compassion for those afflicted.

1. The Gerasene Demoniac (Mark 5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39; Matthew 8:28-34)

One of the most detailed accounts is the healing of the Gerasene demoniac. In Mark 5:2-5 , it is written: "As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came from the tombs to meet Him. This man had been living in the tombs and could no longer be restrained, even with chains. Though he was often bound with chains and shackles, he had broken the chains and shattered the shackles. Now there was no one with the strength to subdue him. Night and day in the tombs and in the mountains, he kept crying out and cutting himself with stones."

Jesus commands the unclean spirits to leave the man, and they enter a herd of pigs, which then rush into the sea and drown. This event demonstrates Jesus' power over demonic forces and His ability to restore individuals to wholeness.

2. The Canaanite Woman's Daughter (Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30)

In Matthew 15:22 , a Canaanite woman approaches Jesus, pleading, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon." Despite initial resistance, Jesus commends her faith and heals her daughter, illustrating that His authority and compassion extend beyond the Jewish people.

3. The Boy with a Mute Spirit (Mark 9:14-29; Matthew 17:14-21; Luke 9:37-43)

In Mark 9:17-18 , a father brings his son to Jesus, saying, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a spirit that makes him mute. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid." Jesus rebukes the unclean spirit, and the boy is healed. This account emphasizes the necessity of faith and prayer in confronting demonic forces.

Theological Implications

The accounts of demoniacs in the New Testament underscore several key theological themes:

· The Reality of Spiritual Warfare: The presence of demoniacs in the Gospels affirms the reality of spiritual warfare and the existence of evil forces opposed to God's kingdom.

· The Authority of Jesus: Jesus' ability to cast out demons demonstrates His divine authority and power over all spiritual realms, affirming His identity as the Son of God.

· Compassion and Restoration: Jesus' interactions with demoniacs reveal His compassion for the afflicted and His desire to restore individuals to physical, mental, and spiritual health.

· Faith and Deliverance: The narratives often highlight the role of faith in receiving deliverance from demonic oppression, as seen in the persistence of the Canaanite woman and the father's plea for his son.

Conclusion

The biblical accounts of demoniacs serve as powerful testimonies to the authority of Jesus Christ over demonic forces and His compassionate mission to deliver and restore those in bondage. These narratives continue to inspire faith and hope in the transformative power of Christ's love and authority.Demoniacs

This word is frequently used in the New Testament, and applied to persons suffering under the possession of a demon or evil spirit, such possession generally showing itself visibly in bodily disease or mental derangement. It has been maintained by many persons that our Lord and the evangelists, in referring to demonical possession, spoke only in accommodation to the general belief of the Jews, without any assertion as to its truth or its falsity. It is concluded that, since the symptoms of the affliction were frequently those of bodily disease (as dumbness, (Matthew 9:32) blindness, (Matthew 12:22) epilepsy, (Mark 9:17-27)), or those seen in cases of ordinary insanity (as ill) (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1-5) the demoniacs were merely persons suffering under unusual diseases of body and mind. But demoniacs are frequently distinguished from those afflicted with bodily sickness, see (Mark 1:32; 16:17,18; Luke 6:17,18) the same outward signs are sometimes referred to possession sometimes merely to disease, comp. (Matthew 4:24) with Matt 17:15; (Matthew 12:22) with Mark 7:32 etc.; the demons are represented as speaking in their own persons with superhuman knowledge. (Matthew 8:29; Mark 1:24; 5:7; Luke 4:41) etc. All these things speak of a personal power of evil. Twice our Lord distinctly connects demoniacal possession with the power of the evil one. (Luke 10:18) Lastly, the single fact recorded of the entrance of the demons at (Gadara (Mark 5:10-14) into the herd of swine, and the effect which that entrance caused is sufficient to overthrow the notion that our Lord and the evangelists do not assert or imply any objective reality of possession. We are led, therefore, to the ordinary and literal interpretation of these passages, that there are evil spirits, subjects of the evil one, who, in the days of the Lord himself and his apostles especially, were permitted by (God to exercise a direct influence over the souls and bodies of certain men.

1139. daimonizomai -- to be possessed by a demon
... Word Origin from daimon Definition to be possessed by a demon NASB Word Usage
demon-possessed (11), demoniacs (2). to be demon possessed. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1139.htm - 7k

Jesus Heals Two Gergesene Demoniacs.
... Part Fifth. From Second Passover Until Third.(Time: One Year.) LVI. Jesus
Heals Two Gergesene Demoniacs. (Gergesa, Now Called Khersa.) ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/lvi jesus heals two gergesene.htm

Difference Between Christ's Healing of the Demoniacs and the ...
... SUPERNATURAL AGENCY. Section 105. Difference between Christ's Healing of the
Demoniacs and the Operations of t/he Jewish Exorcists. The so ...
/.../section 105 difference between christs.htm

Connexion of the Phenomena with the State of the Times. ...
... Section 102. Connexion of the Phenomena with the State of the Times."Conceptions
of the Jews in regard to them: of the Demoniacs themselves. ...
/.../section 102 connexion of the.htm

Christ's Explanations of Demonism Purely Spiritual. --His ...
... AGENCY. Section 104. Christ's Explanations of Demonism purely Spiritual."
His Accommodation to the Conceptions of the Demoniacs. It ...
/.../section 104 christs explanations of.htm

The Conjurations of the Jewish Exorcists. (Luke, xi. , 23-26. )
... It followed, from the foregoing words of Christ in reply to the Pharisees, that
all cures of demoniacs wrought on any other principles must be entirely ...
/.../section 162 the conjurations of.htm

Acts of the Holy Apostle Thadd??us,
... multitude of the wonders done by thee has been heard of by me, that thou healest
the blind, the lame, and the paralytic, and curest all the demoniacs; and on ...
/.../unknown/acts of the holy apostle thaddaeus/acts of the holy apostle.htm

The Peace-Bringer in the Spiritual World
... most striking and solemn features of the narrative as given by the other two
evangelists, and he also diverges from them in mentioning two demoniacs instead ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/the peace-bringer in the spiritual.htm

The Life of Jesus Christ in Its Historical Connexion
... Section 102. Connexion of the Phenomena with the State of the Times.--Conceptions
of the Jews in regard to them: of the Demoniacs themselves. Section 103. ...
/.../neander/the life of jesus christ in its historical connexion/

"Peace, be Still"
... Meanwhile a marvelous change had come over the demoniacs. Light had shone into their
minds. ... The two demoniacs had been the terror of the country. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 35 peace be still.htm

The Gadarene Demoniac. --Christ's Treatment of Him after the Cure. ...
... heard) affected him profoundly; the warring powers within him"as was generally the
case when Christ's Divinity came in contact with demoniacs"partly urged ...
/.../section 132 the gadarene demoniac.htm

Demoniacs (5 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Demoniacs (5 Occurrences). Matthew 4:24 Thus His
fame spread through all Syria; and they brought all the ...
/d/demoniacs.htm - 7k

Demon-possessed (16 Occurrences)
... 4:24 and his fame went forth to all Syria, and they brought to him all having ailments,
pressed with manifold sicknesses and pains, and demoniacs, and lunatics ...
/d/demon-possessed.htm - 10k

Cured (62 Occurrences)
... spread through all Syria; and they brought all the sick to Him, the people who were
suffering from various diseases and pains--demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics ...
/c/cured.htm - 23k

Exorcism
... 2. Method of Expelling Demons in the New Testament: The method of Jesus
in dealing with demoniacs was not that of the exorcists. ...
/e/exorcism.htm - 14k

Exorcist (1 Occurrence)
... 2. Method of Expelling Demons in the New Testament: The method of Jesus
in dealing with demoniacs was not that of the exorcists. ...
/e/exorcist.htm - 15k

Lunatic (2 Occurrences)
... In Matthew 4:24 "lunatics" are distinguished from demoniacs. In 17:15 the name
"lunatic" is applied to one who is declared to have been possessed. ...
/l/lunatic.htm - 7k

Gadara
... Mark (5:1) and Luke (8:26-39) describe the miracle of the healing of the demoniac
(Matthew 8:28-34] says two demoniacs) as having been wrought "in the country ...
/g/gadara.htm - 12k

With (66342 Occurrences)
... In the Gospels the demoniacs are consistently looked upon and treated as
unconscious and helpless victims (see DEMON, DEMONOLOGY). ...
/w/with.htm - 20k

Feeding (37 Occurrences)
... Matthew 8:33 and those feeding did flee, and, having gone to the city,
they declared all, and the matter of the demoniacs. (YLT). ...
/f/feeding.htm - 17k

Flee (187 Occurrences)
... Matthew 8:33 and those feeding did flee, and, having gone to the city,
they declared all, and the matter of the demoniacs. (YLT). ...
/f/flee.htm - 38k

Why are there two demon-possessed men in the Gerasene tombs in Matthew, but only one in Mark and Luke? | GotQuestions.org

Why did Jesus allow the demons to enter the herd of pigs? | GotQuestions.org

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